Chinese Scholars on Renaissance Studies in the People’s Republic of China

AbstractThis essay explores the teaching of Western art, with a special focus on Renaissance Italy, in the People’s Republic of China. All observations were made by the participants in two summer seminars organized by Villa I Tatti: The Harvard University Center for Italian Renaissance Studies (Florence, Italy). Held in Florence, “The Unity of the Arts in Renaissance Italy” (2013) and “Understanding Space in Renaissance Italy” (2014, 2015) offered Chinese scholars the opportunity to study Renaissance works at first hand, and to exchange ideas and approaches with one another as well as with Western scholars. They commented on the limitations and opportunities in their own country, the star status of selected art historians, the lasting impact of the Cultural Revolution, and the role of art academies.